Spaceship Earth Soft Opens Ahead of Schedule at EPCOT
Spaceship Earth has quietly reopened ahead of schedule on a perfect evening at Walt Disney World. And by “quietly,” we mean everyone on social media is talking about it. The EPCOT icon was originally set to return next Saturday after a brief refurbishment, but its standby line is already filled with guests. Fortunately for us, Mariann, Derek, and Noah were among the first to ride.
According to Mariann, Imagineers have made several subtle updates throughout the attraction. Of course, it’s tough to catch every detail on a 15-minute ride after just one trip, but a few changes jumped out at her:
- Better video in the mammoths scene
- Improved projections throughout
- Improved animatronics throughout
- Dame Judi’s narration was removed from the prehistoric scene, replaced with “grunts”
- Minor soundtrack updates
- Lighting improvements: “The lighting was a LOT better!”
- Toned-down fire smells in Alexandria
Update: Derek shared several videos of the updated ride, highlighting noticeably smoother Audio-Animatronic movements.
Let me know if you see anything different https://t.co/YvG15DdxQy pic.twitter.com/b4Y2XD6gCP
— Derek Bell (@imderekbell) October 19, 2025
Thanks to Derek for sharing his beautiful photos with us. I’ll be taking my own when we visit EPCOT next month. And I’m hoping those lighting improvements make it a little easier to get the perfect shot.
Disney hasn’t shared any official details about the soft opening. Spaceship Earth’s webpage continues to show no availability until next Saturday, and the My Disney Experience app currently lists no standby wait times. Guests hoping to experience the ride early should check in person at EPCOT.
